Solon calls cop’s complaint over anti-Trump protest ‘harassment’

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate condemned on Tuesday the charges filed against him by the Manila Police District for supposedly leading the protest against United States President Donald Trump during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in November last year.

READ: Solon sued for allegedly organizing protest vs Trump in Manila

Zarate dismissed the charges as “nothing but a calibrated harassment against members of the Left.”

“Just to ensure that I would not be able to attend and question these baseless and trumped-up cases, the subpoena was served today when the hearing was held yesterday. Also it can be seen that the name on the subpoena is wrong,” Zarate said in a statement.

Zarate was scheduled to face the prosecutor on Monday, Jan. 29, but the subpoena was only served on Tuesday, Jan. 30.

“Together with my co-accused, I will face these cases knowing that we did nothing wrong; we’re just exercising our freedom of expression and right to assembly,” Zarate said.

The lawmaker slammed the the police for its “gall” in filing the charges, citing their use of a sonic weapon – or their Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) – against the protesters. The weapon also reportedly injured bystanders.

But Zarate said it was mostly the protesters who were injured when the police [hit them with truncheons] and blasted them with water.

“We in the Makabayan bloc even filed House Resolution 1481 to investigate the violent dispersal,” he said. “Now they even have the gall to charge us. This is police impunity and draconian rule under the Duterte administration.”

The complaint was filed by PO1 Ariel Miranda Ortega, alleging that Zarate, along with several others, incited protesters to “attack” police officers during the violent anti-US rally along Taft Avenue on Nov. 13, 2017.

Also named in the complaint were militant leaders Vencer Crisostomo of Anakbayan, Renato Reyes of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Teddy Casiño of Bayan Muna, and Einstein Recedes of Student Christian Movement (SCM), who was referred to as spokesperson of Anakbayan in the document.

Zarate and the leaders were accused of violating Sec. 13 (a) of the Public Assembly Act of 1985 (Batas Pambansa 880) and Articles 148 and 158 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) – that is, direct assault with physical injury and resistance and disobedience to a person in authority or agents of such person. /atm